


Five Questions

by FireflySong



Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [24]
Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Weddings, and boy howdy does she, and more heated at the end then i intended, but ash can get just as bad when she puts her mind to it, i mean we all know that chris swears, this turned out both much longer, well hell, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24951937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflySong/pseuds/FireflySong
Summary: Ashley had left the party later on in the night, because everything was becoming too much for her to handle, so she found a nice spot to cool down just a little further from the wedding. That Chris joins her shortly after doesn't surprise her, but the revelation that he has a crush on someone certainly is. Although it's breaking her heart, she needs to know who it is, and asks that Chris plays a simple little game with her.Written for Day 24: Wedding of the Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge over on tumblr.
Relationships: Ashley Brown/Chris Hartley
Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770988
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Five Questions

**Author's Note:**

> hi. well this happened. definitely less sappy then my day 21 entry, but just about as fluffy. its just a different kind of fluff. its just so hot over there.
> 
> you can find me on tumbler at love-fireflysong if you feel so inclined!

It’s not that Ashley wasn’t having a good time, because she was! Surprising even her honestly. But it was all becoming a bit much. There was too many people pressed together, some dancing, some still sitting at their tables. The music was too loud and leaving her head feeling muffled and heavy, and the people sitting at the table with her talking and laughing weren’t helping that matter either. It was even this weird combination of too dark and too bright for her eyes to handle, the open outside area under the canopy was pitch dark with night outside, but the bright spots of the lantern lights strung around the canopy had been making her eyes sting for a while.

Not to mention, it was just so hot in here. A combination of all the people pressed together in one area and the fact that it was a mid-August night, was making Ash feel like her skin was about to crawl away from her and just go die somewhere else. Preferably the pond located only a few minutes walk from the wedding site. Now, to be fair, a good part of her was aware that while this was all a lot for her to handle, the two or three glasses of wine she'd had earlier certainly weren’t helping matters any. 

She just needed to leave. Not the entire area exactly, but get far enough away that she could sit down on one of the nearby benches and just take in some peace and quiet. Feel the air of the humid August night on her skin. Maybe actually take a swim in the aforementioned pond and cool off. Okay, no, she wasn’t actually going to do that. As tempting at the idea sounded (and boy oh boy was it tempting), she wasn’t _nearly_ that drunk. So she stood up on shaky legs, excused herself from the table where she had been sitting with Chris and his parents (and a couple of cousins she had regrettably forgotten the names of already) and walked off.

She passed Chris’s cousin, Madeline, and her new wife on the way out, giving them both her congratulations once again, and assured them that she wasn’t going far, just to clear her head a little. The new wife, Rosalie, had nodded in understanding and pointed her towards a little area that she had always found perfect for getting away from the hecticness of it all. Ash had thanked her profusely and headed off in the direction indicated, but not before Madeline had thanked her for coming (again) and mentioning how nice it was to finally meet her (again).

Ash returned the sentiments, and hurriedly left the too hot canopy in the direction Rosalie had indicated, finding the bench easily enough after only a couple of minutes. She could see why Rosalie had recommended it to her. It was close enough to the wedding party that it was still in sight, but far enough away that the sounds were more of a background noise that meshed well-enough with the more natural sounds of the park. It was even close enough to the pond that the light breeze carried some of it’s more cooling properties to her. 

She wasn’t sure if that just made her want to jump into the pond more or less now.

But all in all, surrounded by towering trees and blooming flowers, it was nice. It was private. And best of all, it was quiet. So Ash let out a sigh of relief and leaned back a bit to take a look at the night sky above her. The stars slightly visible even through all of the light pollution in the area.

“There you are Ash!”

She looked back towards the area where the canopy was and smiled at the sight of Chris making his way towards her. Sure, she had wanted some time on her own, but she could never refuse time with Chris. So she waved her hand up in greeting and when he got closer, patted the seat next to her in invitation. He sat down without any hesitation.

“You feeling okay? You were starting to look a little out of it there for a bit.”

Ash wasn’t surprised that Chris had caught that, but it didn’t make the butterflies in her stomach flutter any less. “Yeah, I’m okay. It was just starting to be a little too much at once, you know. Feeling much better now.”

The short bark of laughter that he let out was more akin to an exhale of breath. “Yeah, I feel ya. Sorry for making you come to this by the way. I know that these really aren’t your thing, not that they’re really mine either though.”

Ash rolled her eyes and bumped his shoulder with hers. ‘You didn’t make me come, you dip. You asked, and I said yes. I could have refused at any point and you wouldn’t have stopped me.”

“True. Shame that Josh wasn’t able to make it either though.” 

“He has that whole Cape Cod thing with his sisters every August. Nothing to be done about it.” She shrugged, and then couldn’t help the snort that came out. “We’d _really_ have a party going on then, though.”

Chris nodded enthusiastically at her. “Oh man. Can you imagine? I mean it’s already pretty busy in there—” he stuck his thumb back towards the wedding party under the canopy “—but that would be _tame_ compared to whatever Josh would turn it into.”

“Conga line for _miles_.”

“ _At least!_ ”

The two of them broke out into unrestrained giggles, not helped at all by the wine that both had been drinking that night. Until finally Chris looked up at her and gave a bashful smile, and Ash was once again reminded how much the color of his dress shirt brought out his eyes. Not that she would ever tell him of course. Josh would have, would have teased her mercilessly about it in fact, but she wasn’t Josh. She wasn’t nearly that brave.

“I really, really do appreciate you coming with me to this, Ash.”

The smile she gave back was just as shy, and she bumped their shoulders together again. The conversation trailed off after that, but she didn’t mind too much. She thinks he doesn’t either. She likes sitting next to Chris like this, when things have gotten quiet and soft and it’s just them. 

After a few moments, she looks down towards her hands and notices how close his right hand is to her left. All she would have to do is reach out a little and she could wrap her pinky with his. She spends about five seconds debating on doing it, only to feel her face flush at the realization. Jesus Christ, maybe she’s more drunk then she thought.

“Can’t believe your cousin booked an entire botanical garden for the wedding.” 

“Huh? What?” Chris gives her a look of confusion, a little jarred from the sudden topic of conversation, but understands quickly enough. “Oh! Yeah, I think it was because of Rosalie actually. She loves flowers and plants and shit, studied it in college or something.”

“Horticulture.”

“Gesundheit.”

Ash rolls her eyes, but can’t help the fond smile. “It’s the study of plants, dork.”

“Hey, it’s not like I was able to shove a dictionary into my pocket or anything. I don’t even _have_ pockets, Ash. Can you believe that? Had to leave my phone in my coat!”

She tries to disguise the laugh as long-suffering sigh, she really does! But she can tell she failed by the way his face lights up just a bit. “Oh no. No pockets. I wonder what that’s like.” She gestures dryly to the dress she’s wearing.

Chris laughs as he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Alright, alright. I get it. I’ll stop.” He gives her a curious look though. “Why’d you ask about the gardens though?”

Ash moves her hands so they’re clasped in her lap and looks down at the hole the toe of her shoe has begun digging into the dirt. “I don’t know,” she says finally. “I guess it just surprised me is all. Not exactly the location I’d choose myself.”

“Oh ho! So you’ve thought about what your wedding would be like Miss Brown?”

She looks up from her new project and into the look of exaggerated interest on Chris’s face. One hand is firmly clasping onto his glasses as he lays into her with an intense look. She gives a casual shrug and smile. “Once or twice.”

“Well you can’t just say that and expect me not to dig, Ash!” He moves, placing his head into the palm of his hands as he balances his elbows on his knees, staring at her with wide-eyed interest. She can’t help the laugh that bubbles out. “So spill! Tell me everything.” 

“Oh man. Um, I guess I’ve always kind of imagined a backyard wedding?” She pauses to think it over for a moment before giving a quick jerk of her head. “No, it’s definitely going to be in a backyard. And with only close friends and family.”

Chris nods in understanding. “Small and private. Sounds like you. Any particular season?”

"I mean, obviously winter. Gonna watch everyone freeze their butts off. It'll be great."

"...I'm honestly not sure if I should be worried or not."

"I'm kidding, moron!" Ash nudges Chris in his side with her elbow, laughing at his overly acted flinch of pain in response. "I'm not too sure on that one anyways. Summer would be nice I guess, but fall has better weather. Spring would just be too wet and muddy though, so no thanks."

Chris continues his nod of understanding, though he starts to swallow nervously and looks away for a second, and for the life of her she can’t understand why. “Got anyone you imagine it’s with?”

Ashley doesn’t respond, instead biting her lip and returning to look at the hole that has now expanded to twice it’s size during their impromptu wedding planning session. 

“Wait, are you serious?”

She’d like to think the shrug she gives is casual, but she knows it’s anything but. The hole is only getting bigger.

“Holy shit. Oh, _holy shit_. You have a _crush on someone?_ ”

“I mean, it’s not that big of a deal—”

“Are you kidding me right now, Ash? Not a big deal? This is a huge deal! You have a _crush_ on someone and you’ve never told me or Josh?!”

Ash just bites her lip harder, still refusing to look at Chris, knowing her face is probably as red as the wine they’d been drinking earlier and starting to wish that she could just hide herself in the hole she's digging. “Josh knows,” she mumbles out instead.

“Wait, so you told _Josh_ , but you never told _me_?”

“I didn’t _tell_ Josh, he just, sorta, well, _guessed_. Correctly.”

“Oh." Chris's voice had gotten softer all of a sudden, and while she can't place what it's making her feel, she does know it's not anything good. "I mean, I guess that tracks. He kinda sorta guessed mine too.”

“Wait.” She raises her head to look at Chris, only to see that he’s not actually looking at her, but off to the side where the pond is, scratching awkwardly at his jaw. “ _You_ have a crush on someone too? How have I not known about this?”

“Um, because I never told you?”

“Nuh uh. Not going to work. You’re completely terrible when it comes to keeping secrets. So spill. Who’s the person?” Her smile is forced as she asks. Ash doesn’t want to know. Her heart is already shattering as she speaks, but she needs to know, or at least the wine in her system does. Know who this person is that managed to get Chris’s attention when she couldn’t after all these years.

“I’m not gonna tell you, Ash! Are you going to tell me yours?”

“Well, no, but—”

“Exactly!” She watches Chris stand up, limbs jerky as he clumsily makes his way to his feet. “So let’s just to back to the party and we’ll both forget that this conversation ever happened and—”

The words are out of her mouth before she knows it. “Let’s play a game.” And she wishes she could take them back almost immediately. Oh, she really was way more drunk then she thought. He was giving both of them an out, a chance to walk away and pretend that this conversation wasn’t happening and that they weren’t about to ruin their friendship. “Let’s play a game.”

Chris groans tiredly as he drags his hand over his face. “Ash, I’m not really in the mood for games right now. So let’s just go back—”

“Five questions.” She swallows nervously. Oh shit, she was going to ruin everything if she didn’t stop talking now! “We both ask each other five questions about who our crush is. Yes or no questions only."

“Just five questions? That’s it?” She nods and he sighs in what could be defeat, but he sits back down heavily next to her on the bench. “Fine. But just five questions, alright? Do you want to go first, or should I?”

Ash swallows and draws in a shaky breath for courage. “I’ll go. It was my idea in the first place.” She could do this. She could figure out who Chris liked. And then, when she was home and safe under her covers, she could cry her heart out later. “Do I know them?”

“Yeah.” The nod he gives is jerky. “Yeah, you know her pretty well actually.”

“Oh! So it’s a girl!”

The laugh Chris makes is a tight thing, but it’s a laugh nonetheless. “No fair! That doesn’t count.”

Ash’s smile is forced, but not as forced as it once was earlier. “Not my fault, you’re offering more information then you need to.” Okay, so that narrows it down to either Sam, Emily, Jessica, or Josh’s sisters. Except now she’s really confused to how in the world she missed this.

“Still not fair. Okay, um, do I know them?”

Ash shakes her head but she’s laughing. “Doesn’t count! You can’t ask me the same question I just asked you!”

“Wait, that wasn’t in the rules before! You are rigging this game to be in your favor, Ash!” The laugh that Chris makes is much more natural and it sets her a little more at ease. She’ll be fine. She can do this! “Fine then.” She watches him hem and haw for a moment to find a question. “Do they make you laugh?”

“Yes.”

The sigh Chris gives then, is one in relief. “Good. You have a cute laugh, you deserve someone who brings it out of you.”

“Oh.” Never mind, she was wrong. She can’t do this. She _absolutely cannot_ do this. She presses on anyway. “Um, okay. Have you known them for a long time?”

“Yeah.” Narrowing it down even further to Beth, Hannah, or Sam. “Is this a recent development?”

“No, it's not. Have you ever asked her out?”

She’s a little surprised by how puzzled Chris looks at the question. “I mean, I haven’t asked them on a date or anything, I guess?” Hmm. She’ll narrow the question down a little bit more next time. “Do they like cookies?”

She can’t help the giggle that escapes. “What? I mean, yeah, of course they do. What kind of question is this?”

“I’m running out of ideas Ash! You’re the brain person here, not me! I’m just the funny guy with the jokes!”

“And sometimes you can’t even pull _that_ off.”

“Oh, ouch. Low blow.”

Ash is too busy still laughing, happy that things have finally gotten back to normal between them, that at first she doesn’t notice his reaction to her fourth question. “Did you ask her to be your plus one to the wedding?” And then she does. He’s stiffened right up in his seat and is now refusing to look her in the eyes.

“Yeah, I did.”

Oh. Well now Ash hates whoever Chris asked. Why wouldn’t they want to come with him? He’s the funniest, nicest guy she knows and it doesn’t matter that Hannah and Beth are off vacationing in Cape Cod or that Sam has that work placement thing at that national park or—

Wait. She turns to stare at Chris in shock. There’s _no way_. There’s absolutely _no way_. But, it makes sense. Both she and Chris have known about the Washington’s Cape Cod trips in August for years now. And Sam had been so excited, she had been talking about her national park thing for _months_. So, that just left...

“Chris,” she manages to squeak out, “you still have two more questions.”

“No, I-I think I’m done playing now.” He starts to try and stand up again, but Ash has already reached for him and grabbed onto his shirt sleeve to keep him there. 

“It’s just two more questions, and you can repeat all the questions I’ve already asked if you want. I don’t care. Just please, please don’t go yet.” She knows that she’s being desperate right now, the wine filling her with courage she certainly wouldn't possess otherwise, but she doesn’t care. She has one more question, and if she’s wrong she’s never going to be able to recover. But she doesn’t care, she needs to know!

“Ash, I really don’t think—”

“Please!”

“Do I know them?”

The words are spilling from her mouth before she realizes it. “Yes! God yes! You know him, Chris! You see him everyday!” His eyes have widened behind his glasses, but Ash is already asking her question. “Did you ask anyone other than me to be your date to this thing?”

If his eyes were wide before, they’re practically saucers now. “What? I don’t—”

“Answer the _fucking_ question, Christopher!”

“No! I didn’t— I didn’t ask anyone else!”

Ash settles back down onto the bench, breathing far too heavily than is appropriate. There’s no way that this is actually happening to her right now. No way in hell. She’s going to wake up any moment in her bed and realize that this was all a dream. “You have one more question.” If she has any thoughts towards how absolutely breathless she sounds right now, she's far too stunned and dazed to care.

“Ash, listen, I—”

Slowly, she shakes her head and watches his Adam's apple bob as he swallows. “Would-would you tell me who it is if I asked now?”

She nods jerkily, still too stunned at the revelation that _he has a crush on her_ to respond with words. “O-oh. Well then,” he licks his lips nervously, “who—”

Now, Ash knows that if she had been stone cold sober, then she never would have even considered doing what she's about to do in the first place. She'd be too scared to. Even with all this evidence that Chris has just laid out and admitted right to her face. But she isn't. Ash is filled with the couple of glasses of liquid courage she had downed earlier on in the night so she has already moved. Not even giving him time to finish his question before her hands have moved to grip the front of his shirt and dragging him down so she can place a fierce, hard kiss on his lips. It’s over almost as quickly as it started though, and she pulls back to stare at a dazed Chris, looking for all the world like he had just been clubbed over the head.

“You,” she manages to gasp out. “It’s _you_ , you idiot. It’s always _been_ you.”

Anything else she could have said is lost, as that’s when Chris’s brain finally kicked in again it seemed and he responded by twisting his hand into her hair and pulling her into another kiss just a searing as the first. Ash doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck to hold him closer as his free hand finds the center of her back and is now pushing her chest into his. She knows that he’s probably—definitely—making a mess of her hair, but when she starts whining into his mouth when the kiss deepens, (she's not sure who's the one to deepen it, doesn't really care honestly) she finds that she doesn’t give two flying fucks anymore. Instead discovering that they're not nearly close _enough_ , moving her hands from around his neck to grip desperately at his own hair, hoping that the feel of the gelled blond strands between her fingers will convince her once and for all that this is actually happening right now, _holy fucking shit_.

It still doesn't prove to her that she hasn't just passed out on the bench and this isn't one of her occasional dreams of finally kissing Chris. Nor does the feeling of him tugging on her own hair to give himself better access to her mouth, or the warmth of his hand at her back and his body at her front keeping her right where she is. What _does_ prove it is the heady realization that she can taste the residue of red wine and red velvet cake on his breath and tongue. Ash has never once been able to taste in her dreams, and this is what finally sends her over the edge from disbelief to goddamn, fucking euphoria. If she hadn't been giving it her all before, she certainly is now.

The second kiss goes on for much, much longer then the first one. And the third longer than that, and on the forth she finds that in their bid to get closer to each other, that they’ve shifted at some point so she’s now on his lap as they make out furiously and desperately on the bench. Had she crawled onto him? Had he pulled her up? Both? Neither? By the fifth she doesn’t really care about that either.

Eventually the two of them do manage to separate, and are pressing their foreheads together, staring at the other in wide-eyed amazement and breathing heavily, Chris's glasses horribly askew from the sheer, desperate energy of what had just gone down. Once her breathing has lowered to more normal levels of post-make out bliss, Ash can't help but giggle at the sight the two of them are probably making. The lipstick she had worn was now a mess all over Chris’s mouth, and she could already feel that her hair was an unsalvageable rat’s nest of hairspray and bobby pins. There is going to be no explaining this away. It’s pretty dang obvious what they had both been doing.

“You think that maybe your parents have started to worry about us? Think we should head back soon?” Slowly, she unwinds her hands from the back of his head to readjust the glasses on his face, but carefully puts her arms back around his neck and doesn't move from his lap, perfectly content to stay right where she is. She leaves a small kiss on the tip of his nose for good measure. And just because she can.

Chris let’s out a low breathy laugh, his smile bright enough that if she wasn’t already flushed from their previous activities, she certainly would be now. “Honestly, Ash? I don’t give a shit about what everyone over there is doing right now.”

He leans in and gives her a much softer and more tender kiss then anything they had shared earlier. And as she sighs happily into it, she finds herself agreeing wholeheartedly. No matter what’s going on over there, she would _much_ rather stay here with Chris.


End file.
